Author Topic: Clip Numbers Versus Income :Your Numbers Please (Read 55306 times)

damseremie · « **on:** December 05, 2015, 20:37 »

Hi Everyone
I am pretty new to stock footage. Just started yesterday.
I do have some old footage that I am cutting up though
Looking to create a side income besides regular the camera work and editing which I freelance on.
I have looked through the forum and I see right now most people are on SS,P5 and then VideoBlocks.
I have decided to go with those 3 for now.
I know this varies based on subject matter and the sheer quality of the clip but....
What I would like to know are your average clip numbers for each site and your equivalent monthly income? , if you feel ok sharing.

I am hoping i can get any average from different people and estimate how many quality clips (and how much time) I would need to put in to achieve my income goals.

I'll like to estimate for example, how many clips might I need to achieve a 500 dollar income monthly?

I have currently submitted about 30 clips. Awaiting approval on all 3 sites mentioned.I am based on Africa so they are mostly African themed.. (I don't know if that's a disadvantage or otherwise).
I hope to continue sharing my experience as the weeks and months pass.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #1 on:** December 05, 2015, 23:43 »

"I'll like to estimate for example, how many clips might I need to achieve a 500 dollar income monthly?"

One good one, or 1000 bad ones.

anathaya · « **Reply #2 on:** December 06, 2015, 01:59 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 05, 2015, 20:37

Hi Everyone
I am pretty new to stock footage. Just started yesterday.
I do have some old footage that I am cutting up though
Looking to create a side income besides regular the camera work and editing which I freelance on.
I have looked through the forum and I see right now most people are on SS,P5 and then VideoBlocks.
I have decided to go with those 3 for now.
I know this varies based on subject matter and the sheer quality of the clip but....
What I would like to know are your average clip numbers for each site and your equivalent monthly income? , if you feel ok sharing.
I am hoping i can get any average from different people and estimate how many quality clips (and how much time) I would need to put in to achieve my income goals.

I'll like to estimate for example, how many clips might I need to achieve a 500 dollar income monthly?

I have currently submitted about 30 clips. Awaiting approval on all 3 sites mentioned.I am based on Africa so they are mostly African themed.. (I don't know if that's a disadvantage or otherwise).
I hope to continue charing my experience as the weeks and months pass.

Here are my numbers:
Number of clips in SS: 35
Duration: more than a year
Total income: $0

Number of clips I need to get $500 per month: Infinity

alijaber · « **Reply #3 on:** December 06, 2015, 02:40 »

November:
SS: 534$ (~1460 clips)
VB: 297$ (~1200 clips)
P5: 552$ (~1650 clips)
December: till now (same number of clips)
SS: 207$
VB: 66$
P5: 423$

Gannet77 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 06, 2015, 07:23 »

I have a little more than 200 clips on each of SS and P5, about 100 on iS (stopped submitting there) and a few on VB recently (just started there, no sales yet). All very basic.

During 2015, I seem to have averaged somewhat more than $200/month overall; it's been about $1.20/clip/month across all sites, though most income is from SS and P5.

Based on that, I'd guess you'd need about 500 clips on those two sites at least to make $500/month.

But my stuff is very simple and not the kind of thing to be in much demand, you could do much better.

damseremie · « **Reply #5 on:** December 06, 2015, 08:01 »

Quote from: anathaya on December 06, 2015, 01:59

Here are my numbers:
Number of clips in SS: 35
Duration: more than a year
Total income: $0

Number of clips I need to get $500 per month: Infinity

Ouch! Though the clips are few... I think you should have made more
Why didn't you submit to other sites? What niche are you in?

damseremie · « **Reply #6 on:** December 06, 2015, 08:05 »

Quote from: alijaber on December 06, 2015, 02:40

November:
SS: 534$ (~1460 clips)
VB: 297$ (~1200 clips)
P5: 552$ (~1650 clips)
December: till now (same number of clips)
SS: 207$
VB: 66$
P5: 423$

Interesting... I really appreciate you sharing...So for November ,your income was (534+297+552) is $1383.
For about the same average number of clips(1300) across the major income sites.
December will be larger but December is never an average month

damseremie · « **Reply #7 on:** December 06, 2015, 08:11 »

Quote from: Gannet77 on December 06, 2015, 07:23

I have a little more than 200 clips on each of SS and P5, about 100 on iS (stopped submitting there) and a few on VB recently (just started there, no sales yet). All very basic.

During 2015, I seem to have averaged somewhat more than $200/month overall; it's been about $1.20/clip/month across all sites, though most income is from SS and P5.

Based on that, I'd guess you'd need about 500 clips on those two sites at least to make $500/month.

But my stuff is very simple and not the kind of thing to be in much demand, you could do much better.

Nice observation....
Let's hear from others but it seems a pattern is forming

It seems for an average contributor, (without any insanely popular clips and if clips are posted on the 3 sites)
Number of Clips ===is approximately equal=== to monthly Income

Mantis · « **Reply #8 on:** December 06, 2015, 10:35 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 06, 2015, 08:05

Quote from: alijaber on December 06, 2015, 02:40
November:
SS: 534$ (~1460 clips)
VB: 297$ (~1200 clips)
P5: 552$ (~1650 clips)
December: till now (same number of clips)
SS: 207$
VB: 66$
P5: 423$

Interesting... I really appreciate you sharing...So for November ,your income was (534+297+552) is $1383.
For about the same average number of clips(1300) across the major income sites.
December will be larger but December is never an average month

I have about 800 clips and don't make anything near alijaber. Not even close. So it isn't just about numbers, it is about subject matter. Clearly alijaber has content buyers want, me not so much. Numbers is a completely different game than content that is in demand. You can have a hand full of good clips and do well or you can have 800 ham n eggers like me and not do super well. I make about $75 to $125 a month on SS, for example. I have some animations and a lot of beach stuff. My animations sell way better than my beach stuff.

fmarsicano · « **Reply #9 on:** December 06, 2015, 10:46 »

1800 clips on SS and pond 5 usually I make about 1000$ on SS and 600$ on pond5 more or less every month

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Gannet77 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 06, 2015, 13:44 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 06, 2015, 08:11

Quote from: Gannet77 on December 06, 2015, 07:23
I have a little more than 200 clips on each of SS and P5, about 100 on iS (stopped submitting there) and a few on VB recently (just started there, no sales yet). All very basic.

During 2015, I seem to have averaged somewhat more than $200/month overall; it's been about $1.20/clip/month across all sites, though most income is from SS and P5.

Based on that, I'd guess you'd need about 500 clips on those two sites at least to make $500/month.

But my stuff is very simple and not the kind of thing to be in much demand, you could do much better.

Nice observation....
Let's hear from others but it seems a pattern is forming
It seems for an average contributor, (without any insanely popular clips and if clips are posted on the 3 sites)
Number of Clips ===is approximately equal=== to monthly Income

Of course, there is a law of diminishing returns... if you have 250 clips and make $250/month, say, then you add another 250 clips of similar subjects, it's not likely that your income will double. You have to have variety too.

KB · « **Reply #11 on:** December 06, 2015, 13:45 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 06, 2015, 08:11

Number of Clips ===is approximately equal=== to monthly Income

That's an interesting observation, and does seem to be approximately true for me, too.

However, looking back, 3 years ago it was more like 2:1, $:clips. 2 years ago and last year, more like 1.5:1.

So while my portfolio size has been increasing, the ratio has been decreasing. My overall, average income has increased only about 10% over the last 3 years, while my portfolio size has just about doubled. So running hard just to stay in place.

gcrook · « **Reply #12 on:** December 06, 2015, 21:24 »

I can tell you straight away that your quest for numbers as a way to quantify and understand this business means less than what you think,you will eventually realize that as i did.
I can give you a number for ss for the last 2 months for example which was 1100-1200 with 1400 clips but that doesnt explain these past 2 months like it cant explain the 3 months before that where it was less that half or these 2 and it certainly cant explain the 6 months prior to the last 5 where it was 200-400 usd with almost the same portfolio.
Same for pond5.
One month it can be 800,the next 1500 the one after that 1000 and so on and so forth.

Number of clips (quantity) regardless of what everyone tells you is the worst way to ensure a stable income.
You will need diversity and luck.Actually a LOT of luck, i find that to be more important than hard work and quality.

This is a lottery in a way.You can create hundreds of clips fairly quick and easy that wont necessarily be of low value, but the one that will make you money is the one you will have shot in the right place at the right time with the right light,subject,duration,lens,upload date,keywords,and it will make up for most of your forever unsold clips.And many times it will catch you by surprise and propably piss you off because it sells and the next best similar clip that you put time and money (and sometimes love) into isn't being noticed at all.
That doesnt mean you cant research what these clips will be and try to create them,im saying that things rarely go the way you hope.
The more you go out and plan the more the chances to capture these clips.

There are more details to these,thankfully a lot of people have discussed and written them down over the years and given time and reading you can demistify this business to a degree.
But you will be forever in the dark like everyone else,with a little candle shining some light every now and then.
And i dont believe for a second that someone has a formula to know what to shoot.Only experience, which saves a bit of time and effort.

Mantis · « **Reply #13 on:** December 06, 2015, 22:20 »

Quote from: gcrook on December 06, 2015, 21:24

I can tell you straight away that your quest for numbers as a way to quantify and understand this business means less than what you think,you will eventually realize that as i did.
I can give you a number for ss for the last 2 months for example which was 1100-1200 with 1400 clips but that doesnt explain these past 2 months like it cant explain the 3 months before that where it was less that half or these 2 and it certainly cant explain the 6 months prior to the last 5 where it was 200-400 usd with almost the same portfolio.
Same for pond5.
One month it can be 800,the next 1500 the one after that 1000 and so on and so forth.

Number of clips (quantity) regardless of what everyone tells you is the worst way to ensure a stable income.
You will need diversity and luck.Actually a LOT of luck, i find that to be more important than hard work and quality.

This is a lottery in a way.You can create hundreds of clips fairly quick and easy that wont necessarily be of low value, but the one that will make you money is the one you will have shot in the right place at the right time with the right light,subject,duration,lens,upload date,keywords,and it will make up for most of your forever unsold clips.And many times it will catch you by surprise and propably piss you off because it sells and the next best similar clip that you put time and money (and sometimes love) into isn't being noticed at all.
That doesnt mean you cant research what these clips will be and try to create them,im saying that things rarely go the way you hope.
The more you go out and plan the more the chances to capture these clips.

There are more details to these,thankfully a lot of people have discussed and written them down over the years and given time and reading you can demistify this business to a degree.
But you will be forever in the dark like everyone else,with a little candle shining some light every now and then.
And i dont believe for a second that someone has a formula to know what to shoot.Only experience, which saves a bit of time and effort.

Good summary

anathaya · « **Reply #14 on:** December 06, 2015, 22:53 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 06, 2015, 08:01

Quote from: anathaya on December 06, 2015, 01:59

Here are my numbers:
Number of clips in SS: 35
Duration: more than a year
Total income: $0

Number of clips I need to get $500 per month: Infinity

Ouch! Though the clips are few... I think you should have made more
Why didn't you submit to other sites? What niche are you in?

Mostly travel type. I tried 123RF and Pond5 (only a few) too. No luck. And gave it up...
I think I better stick to my strengths, i.e. photography. At least, that's what I enjoy most.

alijaber · « **Reply #15 on:** December 07, 2015, 02:22 »

Quote from: alijaber on December 06, 2015, 02:40

November:
SS: 534$ (~1460 clips)
VB: 297$ (~1200 clips)
P5: 552$ (~1650 clips)
December: till now (same number of clips)
SS: 207$
VB: 66$
P5: 423$

What gcrook said is 100% true.
I forgot to mention fotolia: Nov: 0$ (250 clips), Dec: 0$ ( 250 clips).. waiting Adobe impact
Don't waste your time on DT, 123RF: very very low number of sales.
Also don't waste your time on IS: humiliating percentage for contributors

sharpshot · « **Reply #16 on:** December 07, 2015, 04:57 »

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on December 05, 2015, 23:43

"I'll like to estimate for example, how many clips might I need to achieve a 500 dollar income monthly?"

One good one, or 1000 bad ones.

I'm trying to do 1000 bad ones

ACS · « **Reply #17 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:16 »

Quote from: gcrook on December 06, 2015, 21:24

...Actually a LOT of luck, i find that to be more important than hard work and quality.

This is a lottery in a way.You can create hundreds of clips fairly quick and easy that wont necessarily be of low value, but the one that will make you money is the one you will have shot in the right place at the right time with the right light,subject,duration,lens,upload date,keywords,and it will make up for most of your forever unsold clips.And many times it will catch you by surprise and propably piss you off because it sells and the next best similar clip that you put time and money (and sometimes love) into isn't being noticed at all.
That doesnt mean you cant research what these clips will be and try to create them,im saying that things rarely go the way you hope.
The more you go out and plan the more the chances to capture these clips...

Very well said.

In the last 3 years, 1 of my video files made almost %50 of my all footage sales in SS. I have 500 videos there.

Search placement is everything and I think it is mostly related to luck.

damseremie · « **Reply #18 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:25 »

Quote from: fmarsicano on December 06, 2015, 10:46

1800 clips on SS and pond 5 usually I make about 1000$ on SS and 600$ on pond5 more or less every month

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Hmm.. Thanks.. That kind of goes with the weird pattern

Mantis · « **Reply #19 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:25 »

Quote from: ACS on December 07, 2015, 08:16

Quote from: gcrook on December 06, 2015, 21:24
...Actually a LOT of luck, i find that to be more important than hard work and quality.

This is a lottery in a way.You can create hundreds of clips fairly quick and easy that wont necessarily be of low value, but the one that will make you money is the one you will have shot in the right place at the right time with the right light,subject,duration,lens,upload date,keywords,and it will make up for most of your forever unsold clips.And many times it will catch you by surprise and propably piss you off because it sells and the next best similar clip that you put time and money (and sometimes love) into isn't being noticed at all.
That doesnt mean you cant research what these clips will be and try to create them,im saying that things rarely go the way you hope.
The more you go out and plan the more the chances to capture these clips...

Very well said.

In the last 3 years, 1 of my video files made almost %50 of my all footage sales in SS. I have 500 videos there.

Search placement is everything and I think it is mostly related to luck.

Search placement AND getting rid of the stupid sale-killer filter.

damseremie · « **Reply #20 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:29 »

Quote from: Gannet77 on December 06, 2015, 13:44

Of course, there is a law of diminishing returns... if you have 250 clips and make $250/month, say, then you add another 250 clips of similar subjects, it's not likely that your income will double. You have to have variety too.

True words...
Naturally due to competition, one cannot expect to keep making the same amount of money from the same clips over time.
I besides my location, I don't plan to stick to any particular niche (Create as much variety as possible)

So today I could be shooting Food... and Tomorrow Hilltop Establishment Shots

damseremie · « **Reply #21 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:38 »

Quote from: gcrook on December 06, 2015, 21:24

Actually a LOT of luck, i find that to be more important than hard work and quality.

This is a lottery in a way.You can create hundreds of clips fairly quick and easy that wont necessarily be of low value, but the one that will make you money is the one you will have shot in the right place at the right time with the right light,subject,duration,lens,upload date,keywords,and it will make up for most of your forever unsold clips.And many times it will catch you by surprise and propably piss you off because it sells and the next best similar clip that you put time and money (and sometimes love) into isn't being noticed at all.
That doesnt mean you cant research what these clips will be and try to create them,im saying that things rarely go the way you hope.
The more you go out and plan the more the chances to capture these clips.

There are more details to these,thankfully a lot of people have discussed and written them down over the years and given time and reading you can demistify this business to a degree.
But you will be forever in the dark like everyone else,with a little candle shining some light every now and then.
And i dont believe for a second that someone has a formula to know what to shoot.Only experience, which saves a bit of time and effort.

Well said ... Verrry
It's never straight up mathematics

,
there's a lot of luck involved. Similar to the App Business, which I have a little foot in as well
I'll be documenting how this goes for me though. Maybe I'll make a new thread just for that

damseremie · « **Reply #22 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:43 »

Quote from: KB on December 06, 2015, 13:45

That's an interesting observation, and does seem to be approximately true for me, too.

However, looking back, 3 years ago it was more like 2:1, $:clips. 2 years ago and last year, more like 1.5:1.

So while my portfolio size has been increasing, the ratio has been decreasing. My overall, average income has increased only about 10% over the last 3 years, while my portfolio size has just about doubled. So running hard just to stay in place.

Hmm... Probably as a result of consistently increasing Competition... So it will only get tougher... Well,

, lets see how this goes...

damseremie · « **Reply #23 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:49 »

Quote from: ACS on December 07, 2015, 08:16

Very well said.

In the last 3 years, 1 of my video files made almost %50 of my all footage sales in SS. I have 500 videos there.

Search placement is everything and I think it is mostly related to luck.

Wow! Interesting
Must be a really popular clip

ACS · « **Reply #24 on:** December 07, 2015, 10:29 »

Quote from: damseremie on December 07, 2015, 08:49

Quote from: ACS on December 07, 2015, 08:16

Very well said.

In the last 3 years, 1 of my video files made almost %50 of my all footage sales in SS. I have 500 videos there.

Search placement is everything and I think it is mostly related to luck.

Wow! Interesting
Must be a really popular clip

Very popular indeed. (It is a handheld video taken in a train station >> not a very interesting subject!)

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Author Topic: Clip Numbers Versus Income :Your Numbers Please (Read 55306 times)

damseremie

Sean Locke Photography

anathaya

alijaber

Gannet77

damseremie

damseremie

damseremie

Mantis

fmarsicano

Gannet77

KB

gcrook

Mantis

anathaya

alijaber

sharpshot

ACS

damseremie

Mantis

damseremie

damseremie

damseremie

damseremie

ACS

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